Project Example
The Boat Project was taken on by the Fours Class. During a typical morning of free play one of the children decided to build a boat on the block rug and he invited the rest of the children to jump on for a ride to Block Island. The children engaged in this play for a few days. After careful observation of their play, the teachers decided that the children would be interested in doing a web on boats.
Each small group worked together building their own boat to set a float at Kiwanis Park. First, the children made a list of materials they wanted to use in order to build the boats. Next, they tested the materials with a sink and float activity. This allowed the children to investigate and determine if the materials they had chosen would allow the boat to sink or float when placed on the water. After the experiment the children formed a plan of what materials they would use for each part of the boat. For about a week each group worked collectively putting the materials together to achieve their planned design. As more materials were added to the boat, we would have a test launch in our Sensory Table to be sure the boats were water safe. This process allowed the children to make adjustments to the boats before they were officially launched at Kiwanis Park.
In conclusion, we took the children to the Shore and Country Club for an authentic hands on investigation of boats. They were able to find and label different parts of the boat that we had discussed during the investigation.
Investigating boats with the children was a great experience for all those involved. The children learned about cause and effect, problem solving, how to work with their peers to achieve an outcome as well as a sense of pride and accomplishment. The project left such an impression on the children that we were able to revisit the topic at the end of the year and incorporate it into our End of the Year Celebration. For the End of the Year Celebration, each child in the class designed and built their own boat with materials they found around their house and the classroom. When it came time to launch the boats at the celebration, the children were able to share the experience with their parents by inviting them to the second boat launch at Kiwanis Park.